When a planet is in the sign of its exaltation, it is in its very favorite place. It can operate with no restrictions and the energies of the planet and sign blend beautifully. So why is Saturn exalted in Libra? Isn’t Saturn cold and stark while Libra is sweet and lovely? Isn’t that a bit […]
I’m often asked about the difference between a planet in its home sign, or domicile, and a planet in the sign of its exaltation. Both are positive placements that give the planet involved extra power and oomph in the chart. But what, exactly, is the difference? · A planet in exaltation is an honored guest.
As Mars moves out of Capricorn and into Aquarius, it’s a good time to reflect on what Mars energy really is. For instance, why is Mars exalted in Capricorn but not in Aquarius? Both are Saturn-ruled signs, after all. Wouldn’t Mars in Aquarius have all the steady gains of Capricorn, but a little bolder?
Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius, the two farthest signs from the luminaries in the zodiac. This is appropriate to Saturn as he represents boundaries and limitations. More precisely, Saturn shows us the structures in our world that order our raw experience into something comprehensible. Saturn gives and enforces rules, sometimes tediously if we make the
Jupiter is the planet of philosophy, higher understanding, and wisdom. As he is the ‘greater benefic’, Jupiter gives something much broader than Venus does – the ability to see the bigger picture, even to identify purpose. The sign and house placement of Jupiter in a chart modifies how he is able to give these gifts,
Mars, as a symbol of an aspect of human consciousness, represents our active nature. He is aggressive, doesn’t second-guess, and is associated with both the child and the soldier. These may seem incompatible but they are similar in a very key way: the naïveté and pure faith in self that possesses a child to go
Venus’s exaltation in late Pisces reminds us symbolically of the exaltation of the Sun in Aries – the fact that Venus is ‘lifted up’ before the Sun gives us an idea of the relationship between these two. Remember we theorized that the Sun’s exaltation has to do with the first seeds of spring. Venus follows
Welcome back to our series on planetary exaltation, detriment, and fall! Today we are tackling our most flighty friend, Mercury. Unlike the luminaries, whose phases can be clearly seen and understood through their apparent rotation around the earth, and thus are receptive to a fairly straightforward geocentric explanation of exaltation, detriment, and fall, Mercury’s phases
